Relive the anniversary events of the Boston Marathon

Tattered Boston Marathon flags wave outside the entrance of the Old South Church on Boylston Street near the finish line of the Boston Marathon prior to the flag raising ceremony commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Boston remembered a horrific day, not by focusing on its tragedy, but by recognizing how the city, and its people, have bounced back from the Boston Marathon bombing. In speeches from dignitaries and survivors, the words resiliency and courage were used often. Vice President Joe Biden said, in strong, direct language, that the U.S., led by Boston, will not cower from terrorists. The day was ended with a moment of silence, as dozens stood quietly in the rain to remember. Now, with the bombing anniversary behind them, Bostonians will move onto Monday’s race.

For more on the day’s events from the USA TODAY team, scroll down.

— Dignitaries are gathered on the street, and “God Bless America” is sung before the moment of silence. Afterwards, church bells ring out while police officers raise the American flag and the national anthem is sung. As the ceremony concludes, bagpipes play and the color guard marches off the street, the colors of Boston strong and the American flag still flying high.

— From Kelly Whiteside in Boston — During the moment of silence at 2: 49, the time the first bomb exploded, only the sound of raindrops hitting umbrellas could be heard. Church bells rang. An American flag was raised. Bagpipes sang their mournful song.

Boylston Street from other side of marathon finish line. These folks are drenched & can't see a thing. They're here. pic.twitter.com/Pd45TlPUzS

With the indoor tribute over, the commemoration moves outdoors, to the finish line. A large contingent is there, in the rain, for a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m. ET, when the first bomb went off.

— After a rousing final exhortation from Biden, the children’s choir returned to sing, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

— From Kelly Whiteside — Love when Vice President Joe Biden doesn’t use his prepared notes as if he’s having a conversation. Says he’s been to many tributes but this one is truly amazing.

“You’re living proof that America can never be defeated,” Biden says.

He shares something his mother used to say to him, while addressing the survivors who spoke during the Tribute: “You’re defined by your courage and you’re redeemed by your loyalty.
“You’ve reached back to help so many people,” he says.

The Vice President gets a laugh when he says, “Even though I’m not a Boston (Red Sox) fan, I love you guys man. What an incredible city.

“You have become the face of America’s resolve. For the whole world to see.”

He recounts the story of Carlos Arredondo, the cowboy hat wearing hero who ran to help the injured after the blasts.

“He wasn’t a firefighter, he wasn’t a trained medic, he wasn’t a police officer,” Biden says. “Yet he instinctively, he ran to. That’s what Bostonians do, that’s what the whole world saw. That’s what America does.”

Biden says next Monday on Patriots Day when 36,000 runners line up at the finish line, “You will send a resounding message around the world. Not just the rest of world but the terrorists.

“That we will never yield, we will never cower. America will never, ever, ever stand down.
We are Boston. We are America. We respond. We endure. We overcome … and we own the finish line.”

“We are not strangers. We are in the end one community, I hope we hold tight to that.

I hope as we remember the dead and encourage the injured, we remember community.

I hope as we remember the courage of the first responders, we remember community.

I hope that as we thank the medical teams and the public officers, we remember community.
… The power of love itself. That’s what a community is and I am so, so proud to be a part of this one.”

Martin Richard’s sister Jane who lost a leg is back playing CYO basketball Mayor Walsh says. Boston Globe had a moving piece on The Richard family this week that truly captured Janes’s indomitable spirit.

“We will never be the same but we are stronger than ever. We have been tested and tested again. We face these hurts with a new understanding of our strength. ”

“We have survived the dark night to face the future with hope and confidence. … We can believe that anything is possible. And then we work our hearts out to prove it. This is Boston after all — a city of courage and champions. A city of hope and city of heart.”

— Renee King returns to the stage to sing For Good, from the musical Wicked, with the memorable refrain: “Because I knew you, I’ve been changed for good.”

— From Kelly Whiteside: Professional dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis who lost her lower left leg. Days after the attack, she vowed to dance again. She did.

The most touching moments from the survivor ‘s speeches are also among the funniest. Haslet-Davis talks about the joy of walking into non handicapped bathroom for the first time.

“My wish if I were allowed to grant one — is that we use this day not just as a day of remembrance but as a day of action. I wish that everyone who is facing adversity can have the support that we have had.

“Look around. People in your community need your support. They need your patience and they need your time in dealing with similar situations such as ours. Let April 15 be a day that we all work together to make the world a better place.”

She ended her speech with a lesson she has learned. “Something can go … horrifically, terribly wrong in a matter of seconds, yet it’s up to us to make every single second count after, because believe me they do.”

Many of the victims have become close this past year. Survivor Patrick Downes on survivor community: “We should have never met this way but are so grateful for each other.”

— From G. Jeffrey MacDonald, onsite at Boston’s hospitals — In nearby Charlestown, staff members of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital gathered in a conference room to watch Boston’s tribute to the bombings’ victims, including many whom they’d personally helped to heal.

Spaulding was where 32 of those who suffered the worst wounds – limb loss, serious burns and nerve damage – went to begin their recoveries. These patients stayed at Spaulding for as many as 55 days, concentrating on therapies designed to help them adjust to new realities and new limits.

Today in the conference room, several wore “Boston Strong” t-shirts as they watched the tribute. Spiritual Care Director Joan Horgan smiled when she saw on the screen faces of survivors who’d opened up to her about their faiths during their most trying days.

“After seeing them go through so much pain and struggle to come to terms with what happened to them,” Horgan said, “it’s just so uplifting to see their progress and how far they’ve come.”

— The next speakers: David Yepez and his father Luis Yepez. Then 15, David suffered a torn ear drum, second-degree burns on his arm, and had a 3-inch piece of shrapnel embedded six inches deep in his leg. He was just feet away from where 8-year-old Martin Richard was killed.

— The first of three survivors: Patrick Downes. He and his wife Jessica Kensky, were newlyweds when they both lost their left legs in the attack. He talks about how a year ago today, Bostonians chose to run towards the danger to help each other.

— From Kelly Whiteside — Standing ovation for former mayor. Hoots & hollers. Thomas Menino’s eyes tear up as he talks about responders.

Menino, 71, has been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer in the past year that spread to his liver and lymph nodes, the Boston Globe reported in March.

“Even though we know this day will always be hard … never easy to be close to that place where our lives broke apart,” he said.

“We long to be anywhere but here at this moment. It’s still a comfort to be here with family and friends who got us through that tragic day.”

— Thomas Menino, Boston’s former mayor, was given a standing ovation as he walked up the dais.

— After the children’s moving, emotional song, first responders, medical personnel and volunteers are honored by Tom Grilk, executive director of the Boston Athletic Association.

— From Kelly Whiteside at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston — Whenever this lands on YouTube everyone must watch children’s chorus sing Up to the Mountain. High school & middle school kids, kids not much older or younger than the three killed at finish line

Boston Children’s Chorus perform Up to the Mountain, a beautiful song written by Patty Griffin, inspired by Martin Luther King’s speech, but the message resonates here as well.

I went up to the mountain
Because you asked me to
Up over the clouds
To where the sky was blue
I could see all around me
Everywhere
I could see all around me
Everywhere

Sometimes I feel like
I’ve never been nothing but tired
And I’ll be walking
Till the day I expire
Sometimes I lay down
No more can I do
But then I go on again
Because you ask me to

Some days I look down
Afraid I will fall
And though the sun shines
I see nothing at all
Then I hear your sweet voice, oh
Oh, come and then go, come and then go
Telling me softly
You love me so

The peaceful valley
Just over the mountain
The peaceful valley
Few come to know
I may never get there
Ever in this lifetime
But sooner or later
It’s there I will go
Sooner or later
It’s there I will go

— Rev. Walker paid tribute to each of the four people who died as a result of the attacks, naming them by name and mentioning what made each person so special. Overflow crowd of 2,700 plus at tribute. In rapt attention as Rev Liz Walker delivers opening remarks:

“We are also reminded of the amazing capacity of the human spirit to rise in heroism, compassion and sacrifice.

A year has passed so quickly and wounds have yet to heal. But the city we love has grown stronger.

There have been hard lessons along the way. Grief is that easy perch where the heart is forced to rest with no escape, no bridge, no door. Just one way through — time.

There is a rising.”

— From Kelly Whiteside at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston — Packed into a convention hall on Boylston Street, the same street where the tragedy occurred a year ago at the finish line, thousands of invited guests, including survivors and first responders, gathered to in remembrance.

A year ago, Rev. Liz Walker of Roxbury Presbyterian Church preached before President Obama and others gathered for an interfaith service. She is here again to deliver the opening remarks with Vice President Joe Biden in attendance.

— From Kelly Whiteside at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston — Former NFL player Joe Andruzzi back at the marathon to “finish what we started.” A team is running for his foundation aimed at tackling cancer. Andruzzi, who played nine seasons as an offensive lineman, was at finish line in 2013 and helped some of the gravely injured. Andruzzi was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s lymphoma in 2007 and underwent aggressive chemotherapy treatment. He says on the foundation’s web site he is now cancer free.

— From G. Jeffrey MacDonald at Massachusetts General in Boston — Looking back on lessons learned from the bombings, staff at Massachusetts General Hospital pointed Tuesday to efforts now underway to improve internal communications and ensure proper staffing levels in future emergencies.

At a panel discussion attended by more than 100 MGH staff, Emergency Preparedness Division Chief Paul Biddinger noted how the institution didn’t have a hospital-wide messaging system in place a year ago to reach all 26,000 employees. The hospital instead relied on emails, which staffers might not be checking frequently, and other communications sent solely to department heads.

Thus the hospital had excess staff on hand hours after the bombs went off because workers, unsure if they’d be needed, reported for duty just in case.

Four days later, while the city’s “shelter in place” order was in effect during the manhunt, the hospital didn’t have enough nurses on duty for a time, Biddinger said. Even when the city gave clearance for health care workers to report for work, not everyone could be reached immediately.

“Though we did a pretty good job getting initial notification out to the hospital community, what they really wanted were updates about what was needed from them,” Biddinger said. He said about 7,000 employees have so far signed up for the new messaging system.

Medical personnel also received high praise when former Boston Mayor Tom Menino arrived at the panel discussion.

“The folks who worked in the medical tents – they were the real heroes of that day,” Menino said. He added that he’d visited with a group of survivors the night before, calling them, “The most resilient group I’ve ever met.”

— From Kelly Whiteside at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston — Survivor Jeff Bauman, the only person who lost both legs above the knee, arrives with his fiancée Erin. He’s walking on prosthetics with a crutch moving at a good clip. Amazing.

Dr. Lyle Micheli has worked every marathon finish line since 1975. Never before have they needed tourniquets. This year they will have two or three trauma kits there, purchased from Israeli Army.

The large conference room filing up with first responders and survivors. Says police commissioner William Evans: “I hope it helps give the family some healing.”

— The Boston Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox and New England Patriots all used their Twitter accounts to make one message clear:

— President Barack Obama released a statement on the one-year anniversary: A year ago, tragedy struck at the 117th Boston Marathon. Four innocent people were killed that week, and hundreds more were wounded. Today, we remember Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu, Martin Richard, and Sean Collier. And we send our thoughts and prayers to those still struggling to recover.

We also know that the most vivid images from that day were not of smoke and chaos, but of compassion, kindness and strength: A man in a cowboy hat helping a wounded stranger out of harm’s way; runners embracing loved ones, and each other; an EMT carrying a spectator to safety. Today, we recognize the incredible courage and leadership of so many Bostonians in the wake of unspeakable tragedy. And we offer our deepest gratitude to the courageous firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, runners and spectators who, in an instant, displayed the spirit Boston was built on – perseverance, freedom and love.

One year later, we also stand in awe of the men and women who continue to inspire us – learning to stand, walk, dance and run again. With each new step our country is moved by the resilience of a community and a city. And when the sun rises over Boylston Street next Monday – Patriot’s Day – hundreds of thousands will come together to show the world the meaning of Boston Strong as a city chooses to run again.

A knitted tribute hangs on a street light along the course of the Boston Marathon on the one year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

— From G. Jeffery MacDonald in Boston — Rain showers cast a somber sky over Boston Tuesday (April 15) as the city marked the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, which left 3 dead and more than 260 injured, including 15 who lost limbs.

The day began on a prayerful note at Massachusetts General Hospital, where 39 bombing victims were treated after the attacks and where staffers are still coming to terms with what happened in their city one year ago.

By 8 a.m., a handful of visitors were sitting quietly in a dimly lit chapel. Four candles glowed on an altar for those killed, including a university police officer who died in the hunt for the bombers. They listened as Psalms were read aloud, followed by recorded keyboard music and periods of silence.

“For the 264 people injured and the thousands of lives impacted,” one chapel visitor wrote in the day’s guestbook.

The reflective, subdued mood at the hospital reached well beyond the chapel. Lab technician Cindy Baires recalled being “very scared” and “afraid for my safety” one year ago, especially in the days after the bombings, as a huge police and National Guard presence affected everyone. She plans to mark the anniversary by giving blood at the hospital today for the first time, but the disturbing memories remain fresh.

“It brings back how I felt that week – it didn’t feel right,” Baires said. “I’d never had to go through that before. It just felt like this wasn’t Boston.”

She’s not alone in feeling unsettled as the anniversary harkens back to a harrowing week when emotions and adrenaline ran high throughout the violence, the manhunt and the lockdown that led to suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s capture.

Chaplains have had more staffers seeking them out for support in recent days as the anniversary approached, according to MGH Director of Chaplaincy John Polk.

“It feels rawer than it did last year,” said Rev. Polk, a Lutheran chaplain. “I think I’m more impacted emotionally this year than I was last year because then I was doing my work and just kept doing it and doing it. It’s taken a lot for me to realize the impact on myself.”

Shortly before the bombs went off, Polk had been near the marathon finish line waiting for his son, William, to finish the race. William crossed the finish line before the bombings, and Polk left the area where the first bomb would go off 45 minutes later.

But his son and his racing friends were nonetheless “seriously traumatized” by what happened, he said, including the sight of spectators with severed limbs in the medical tent. Their struggles impacted Polk too, he said, in ways he only realized months later.

— Survivors gather: Doctors, nurses and survivors have gathered at Mass General to pay tribute to victims as well as discuss the way they reacted to the bombings, and how it has affected the events moving forward. Mass General received 39 victims, and the panel has mentioned how every single part of the hospital lent a hand.

— J.P and Paul Norden, survivors who lost limbs in the bombing, are walking the marathon route to raise money for prosthetics. Their walk will start this morning.

Mass Gov. Deval Patrick, (green hat), Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, center tie and pin) , and Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, right, with with the Richard family (family of Martin Richard) before the tribute and flag raising to those affected on the anniversary of Boston Marathon Bombing at the marathon finish line. — (Photo by Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Staff)

I am lucky, I know. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to live in this city. Lucky to have your love and support. That’s why I want to say to everyone who donated any amount, large or small, especially the children who broke open their piggy banks to send us their life savings: Thank you. You changed our lives.

— From Kelly Whiteside in Boston — A year after the bombs exploded on Boylston Street during the Boston Marathon, hundreds of survivors and first responders will gather today at the Hynes Convention Center for an emotional tribute.

There will be remembrances for those killed near the finish line — Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu – and MIT police officer Sean Collier, who was shot dead allegedly by accused bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

More than 260 were injured on April 15, 2013 and several survivors are expected to speak at the event as is Vice President Joe Biden. Afterwards an official delegation will gather at the finish line for a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m., the time when the first bomb went off. There will be a formal flag raising ceremony and churches throughout Boston will toll their bells.

Universal Sports Network will stream the tribute event live at noon ET and air a one-hour program tonight. The network will also re-air the 2013 race for the first time. Universal Sports will be made available to all U.S. TV distributors via a free preview online.